Inspiring tidbits on love, loss, laughter, and the likes… and how Life Gets Better

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Slow Down Sometimes

Recently I was rushing at work to make it to a community event. A person who was supposed to help me with preparations failed to do so which threw my usually smooth routine into a tailspin. I arrived at work at 5am to get some things accomplished, and be ready to receive the items I wasn’t able to get the night before so that I could make it to the location of the event at 8am.

At 7:15am I called the front desk to see if the items were ready. They were. I rushed out of my office to head down the hall. I greeted the receptionist as always then smiled and spoke quickly to a man walking by. We don’t have many men in our building so I was not sure of his reason for being there, especially that early. As I was approaching the door to hurriedly pick up my items so I could load my SUV and head to my event the same gentleman I spoke to started speaking. I couldn’t hear him clearly so I assumed (or at least told myself) that he wasn’t talking to me. He said something again, and I mustered up enough hearing to decipher the words “excuse me, ma’am”. I turned my head so quickly part of my “hair accessory’s” tresses swept down over my eye. I couldn’t hear him clearly because of a crying baby so I looked at him as if to say “are you talking to me or the receptionist?” I still continued to rush to open the door and retrieve my items while waiting on him to give some clue as to who he was talking to. Finally he said much louder and more directly, “Excuse me, ma’am. Are you a columnist?” Still a little foggy and groggy, and not quite sure what he meant I said, “pardon me” while still almost yanking on the knob to open the door to get my material. He repeated himself, “Are you a columnist, ma’am? Do you write?” Then it hit me. He was talking to me. I whispered, slightly embarrassed by my hasty actions, “Yes, I do, sometimes.” He then said with so much elation, “I know it was you. When I saw your face and heard her call your name I knew you were the one. I read your column every week in the Birmingham Times. You are such an inspiration to me, and I’m a man, so that says so much. You are such a blessing!”

I thanked him, but had to offer an internal apology to God for almost missing that moment. In my fastness, I could have come across as uncaring, or possibly rude. Truth be told, I was in perfect timing to arrive at my event. I just was frustrated by being out of my routine. Being out of my routine allowed the Lord to connect me with someone who said I was a blessing. Now I know without a doubt that he, in fact, was sent to be a blessing to me.